


Still Young

by WordsforEmptySpaces (inkandpaperhowl)



Series: The Call [3]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Golden Age (Narnia)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-20
Updated: 2013-01-20
Packaged: 2017-11-26 06:45:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/647716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkandpaperhowl/pseuds/WordsforEmptySpaces
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because everyone wants to be young, even kings and queens. One for each of the Pevensies, happy feelings all around. Golden Age, noship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Laughing

**Chapter One: Laughing**

The High King was late. Peter had never been late before. He burst into the Great Hall of Cair Paravel out of breath, cloak askew, and crown hanging over one ear. Everyone turned to stare. He straightened up, tweaked his cloak right, and set his crown properly on his head. He smiled at his court, and strode up through the crowd to his throne. He glanced at Susan, who was glaring at him, and Edmund, who was wearing a look of stunned disbelief. He refused to look at Lucy, who was stifling laughter behind her hands. Holding his head high, he gathered his tunic and sat down.

"Forgive me," he said, his voice not very loud, but carrying over the whole hall in that powerful tone everyone loved. "I find myself a little behind the time today. I apologise for inconveniencing all of you with my lack of promptness. We may now start with the matters to be placed before us for judgment today. Please, begin."

There were a few mutters from foreign dignitaries about the lack of responsibility shown by the High King. Narnian natives hushed those who would complain with glares or shakes of the head, or a curt word or two. They would suffer no insult to their beloved king. Everybody had bad days, even kings. And anybody could oversleep. As Peter commenced business, the people smiled knowingly up at their king, who smiled back as though nothing were wrong. They commended him to each other on his poise and the way he easily smoothed over the mistake. Nothing was wrong with him in their eyes.

Later that morning, Susan leaned over and whispered to Peter. "Very nicely done, O Magnificent One." He could hear the laugh in her voice. He blushed slightly and looked at her. "But your apology was very elegant."

"Yeah," Edmund commented from the other side. "Just don't do it again, or you'll have Susan the Not-So-Gentle to answer to."

The kings and queens burst out laughing, and the courtiers and visitors looked up with smiles and watched their young rulers in their mirth. They pardoned the outburst with a shake or two of the head and a wistful look in their eyes. The Kings and Queens deserved to laugh just as much as anybody else.

After all, they were only children.


	2. Crying

**Chapter Two: Crying**

The Gentle Queen was alone. Susan had never liked being alone. She stood in the alcove near the window in the foreign castle and stared out at the tossing sea. She wished she hadn't agreed to accompany the foreign king across the sea to see his kingdom and meet his nephew and heir. She wished Lucy had been able to come with her, and keep her company, and make her laugh at the weird customs and strange language that prevented her from getting along with these people. She tried to keep up appearances, but she really wanted to go home to Narnia, where she knew the hallways and people smiled at her when they passed her. She wanted to go home.

The people in this country were dark and closed. They rarely smiled. And she had trouble speaking to them, having only learned bits and pieces of their language. They thought she was odd, and loud. She laughed too much, and smiled too much, and they knew she would not fit in with their country if the king decided to marry her to the heir. There was no real fault in her beauty, however. And her temperament was gentle and sweet. She was a good ruler, they decided, but not in their country. And so they shipped her home with many gifts and thanks. She was only too happy to leave.

When the ship arrived in the harbor at Cair Paravel, she stood up on deck and waved to the people who had come to meet her. She smiled and laughed and waved. When the ship pulled out the gangplank, she was the first one down. When her feet touched ground, she began to cry. Peter rushed to her and asked her what was wrong, and she waved him off, saying something along the lines of "happy to be home." Lucy threw her arms around her sister's waist, and Edmund tossed an arm around her shoulders, but she was still crying. Soon, the others were crying to, because they were happy to be home and together, and because Susan was. She promised to tell them all about her trip once they were inside, and Lucy promised to make her laugh. As they moved up the path to the castle, still crying, the people of Narnia smiled to themselves. They were so good and gentle and kind. And anybody can get homesick, even a queen. So they decided that Susan had the right to cry, if she wanted to.

After all, they were only children.


	3. Playing

**Chapter Three: Playing**

The Just King was bored. Edmund had never had "nothing" to do before. And it wasn't that he didn't have things to be doing now. He just didn't want to do them. Peter was playing paper shuffler, reviewing documents that authorized the trade of lumber down the river instead of over land. Edmund wondered why they had never thought of that before—it was so much easier than carrying them over land. But now there was the paper process that preceded the change in policy. Edmund sighed and looked down at his own stack of documents for review and signing. The kings in stories and fairy tales never had this much work to do. A flash of sunlight caught his eye and he looked up at the window, where the ledge was covered in fallen leaves. Winter was coming.

He stood up suddenly and threw a light cloak over his shoulders. His brother looked up from his work, and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Outside."

"Why?"

"Because I think if I sign my name one more time I'll go mad." Peter smiled at that, and stood up as well. They walked down the hall and Peter paused at the door to the tapestry room. He stuck his head inside and Edmund heard him call to Susan that it was time for a break. She emerged a moment later with a grateful look on her face. Edmund called down into the kitchens for Lucy to come up, and she did so, with a basket of pastries on her arm.

They went outside and spread out under a tree, eating the pastries and talking. A few more leaves sifted down around them, and Edmund gathered some of them into a small pile. Silence fell as the others watched him. He glanced up and there was a mischievous grin on his face. Peter caught on and stood the gather more leaves into the growing pile. Lucy laughed and helped. Susan sighed in exasperation and asked one of the passing gardeners for his rake.

Edmund was the first to jump into the massive mound of leaves. As he landed, the red and orange and yellow leaves flew up into the air and settled back down, almost shimmering in the sun. The others took their turn, and they gathered the pile back together, and did it again and again, having the time of their lives.

The gardeners were shaking their heads at the antics of their kings and queens. But they said nothing, because everyone has a playful edge in autumn. Anyone can jump into leaf piles, even kings and queens. So Edmund was justified in his afternoon of fun.

After all, they were only children.


	4. Dancing

**Chapter Four: Dancing**

The Valiant Queen was hot. Lucy had never wished for winter so fervently before. But the Great Hall of Cair Paravel was full of people, and the crowds didn't help with the heat. The windows were open, trying to tease any passing breeze into coming inside. But the ceremonial cloaks were what did it for Lucy. She just wanted to go to the sea and never come back inside until she was blue in the face with cold.

Peter called an early end to the matters of state and concluded business sooner than usual. Lucy and Susan escaped to the small sitting room the siblings had claimed as their private gathering room. One of the servants had already sent up chilled fruit and a pitcher of ice water. Susan poured four glasses, and Lucy picked at the bowl of grapes while they waited for the boys.

"Susan," Lucy asked into the settling silence. "What would you say to a bit of swimming this afternoon?" She asked in the manner of a child asking a parent something they know the answer to will be no.

"Oh, no, Lucy," Susan said at once. "We can't go swimming! It would be—"

"Did I hear the word swimming?" Peter asked, entering the room fumbling with the tie on his cloak. "Blasted knot!" he muttered.

"Here, let me," Susan said, standing up and picking at the knot.

"I wouldn't say no to swimming," Edmund said, pouring a second glass of water after drinking the first in one or two gulps. Lucy squealed in delight and Edmund held up fingers outlining three-to-one. Susan looked stricken and Peter just smiled.

In no time, they were running down the path to the beach that neighbored the harbor, the golden sand hot under their bare feet. Susan spread a towel and they gently covered their crowns to prevent them from harm. Then Lucy plunged into the water, and Peter followed, Edmund and Susan a beat behind. They were laughing and shouting, and splashing and Lucy didn't remember having so much fun in a long time. When the sun set and the air cooled down, they had dried off, and Lucy started humming one of their favorite songs. She pulled Peter to his feet and soon they were dancing and laughing under the almost full moon by the sea. The people looking out of their windows at the four kings and queens dancing laughed softly to themselves, and thought about when they were young and had danced in the moonlight. Everybody had the urge to dance, even kings and queens. So Lucy could twirl as much as she wanted, and nobody would say anything was wrong with that.

After all, they were only children.


End file.
